Lawmakers and Department of Health (DOH) officials yesterday engaged in a heated debate over issues surrounding the proposed second-generation health plan. The issues debated included how disadvantaged people should receive subsidies and when to charge for premiums based on income sources such as interest and stock dividends.
DOH minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) yesterday fielded questions about the Executive Yuan’s proposed amendments to the National Health Insurance Act (全民健康保險法) from lawmakers, who argued among themselves over specific articles and the wording of the laws during the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee meeting yesterday.
SUBSIDIES
Legislators could agree on one thing, however, which was to hold a public hearing on whether certain groups, such as veterans, Aborigines, middle and low income families, single parents and mentally and physically disabled people, should receive subsidies through their respective government agencies.
Lawmakers could not reach a consensus on what types of income, aside from salary, to include in calculating the premium a household would be charged. However, it was agreed that if the type of income reached a certain level, then the premium amount would be charged and payment deducted from the income source on the 10th of the succeeding month.
AGGREGATE
On the other hand, if the income does not reach the specified level, then it would be added to an aggregate amount of total income on which the premium would be charged in January the following year.
If a person, for example, received interest payments of more than NT$10,000 this month on their savings deposit at a bank, then their premium payment would be automatically deducted from their bank statement, said Chu Tong-kuang (曲同光), a deputy convener of a DOH task force on insurance premiums.
However, there was yet no consensus reached on whether NT$10,000 or any specific number would be the cut-off line for automatic deduction from the income source.
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